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American Neutrality
U.S. Congress passes the first few neutrality laws. These laws had America stay out of all "foreign wars". The government would not make loans, sell arms, or provide assistance to nations involved in a war. -
The First Saturday Surprise
Hitler proclaimed that he was rebuilding the German airforce, reinstating the draft, and rearming the nation in the name of "defense". Hitler told the Reichstag that "the principal effect of every way is to destroy the flower of the nation. Germany needs peace that desires peace". However, Hitler warned the Reichstag that if anyone attacks Germany will cause chaos. -
The Second Saturday Surprise
Germany takes back the Rhineland. Many German generals felt that the army shouldn't have entered into the Rhineland since the army wasn't fully equiped and fully trained, but Hitler felt that the French wouldn't do anything to retaliate. From the French point of view, their government did not want another war. -
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German Aliance With Italy and the Annexation of Austria
In 1936, Hitler allied with Italy; the Italians now had the support of Germany in their invasion of Ethiopia. This alliance would lead to the Anschluss beween Austria and Germany. In February of 1938, Hitler threatened to invade Austria unless the Austrian president resigned. When the German military marched into Austria in March of that year, 99.7% of the people of Austria wanted annexation; no one came to help Austria because no government felt that it was something not worth fighting about. -
The Czechs are Alone
People of the Sudentenland, the German speaking area of Czechoslovakia, want to be united with Germany. The Czechoslovakian governmnet feared invasion, and looked to France and Russia to help; the leader of Italy, Benito Mussolini called Hitler and his British and French counterparts to a meeting where they agreed to give Hitler Sudetenland. Hitler told them that this would be the last of his teritorial demands to make Germany better. -
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Poland is Invaded
The Nazis have a few prisoners dress in Polish army unforms and have them shot on August 31st in the border city of Gleiwtiz. The next day the German army invades Poland. This was supposedly in response to "a Polish attack on Gleiwitz. -
Declarations of War
France and Britain declare war on Germany. They felt that this was the last straw and that Germany had to stop its conquests. They were also infuriated that Hitler broke his promise that the Sudetenland was the last area he would take over. -
Poland Surrenders
Warsaw, the Polish capital, surrenders to their Nazi invaders. Hitler then decides to ship all of the Jews, "Gypsies", and millions of Poles to concentration camps. This was to "Aryanize" Warthegau, what Hitler called the Central and Eastern parts of Poland. -
The Jews
Jews were now treated descretely differently than the rest of the population. They now had to wear a yellow badge in the shape of the Star of David to signify that they were Jews; wearing the badge prevented them from roaming the streets of where they lived from 9 P.M. to 5 A.M. Because of Warsaw's 350,000 Jews, the Nazis established 400 ghettoes and 437 labor camps to work them to death. -
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The Germans Move West
Hiter decides to set his eyes on Western Europe. In April, Denmark and Norway fell; as did Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg in May. France fell on June 22; Britain was the only country in Western Europe that had not fallen into German hands. The only countries that now remained friendly were Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, and Sweden. -
A New Leader for Britain
Winston Churchill is elected prime minister of Britain. In order to boost the moral of the British people on the war, he stated "we will wage war, by sea, land or air, with all our might and with all the strength God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny [...]". Everyone hoped that he was the leader that the country needed to win the war for Britain. -
The Future of the Children of Poland
Heinrich Himmler decides how the educational lives of the children of Poland. The them, the highest grade they could go to was the 4th grade where they would learn simple math and nothing about the number 500. There was no reading allowed and only Polish children who had "aryan" features were relieved of these rules. The Nazis also kidnapped 200,000 children and trained them as soldiers or prepared them for motherhood. -
Anti-Germans in the Netherlands
Riots in the Netherlands start. The people who participated in these riots wanted to express their concern for their Jewish friends. They expressed their anger against their Nazi invaders and wanted them to leave by halting production of their products. Unfortunately, the riots were put down by the Nazis and they had tthe Jews shipped to death camps. -
The Soviet Union is Invaded
Hitler has his army invade the Soviet Union to "destroy the Jewish-Bolshevik menace". It was an extremely planned invasion with the SS following behind the army. The SS would invade all along the border of the Soviet Union with Eastern Europe; this would spread havoc all around the country. They had the task of killing any "enemies of the state". -
The Instuctions
Hermann Goering instucts his men to do the unthinkable. He tells them to "annihilate te false Bolshevist doctrine, or the Soviet State, and of its armed forces". He also tells them to go throught "the pitiless extermination of alien trechary and cruelty, and thus the protection of the lives of the German forces in Russia". Due to his intructions, 700,000 Jews, and thousands of Ukrainians, "Gypsies", Poles, and "other enemies of the state were killed. -
A Failure in Planning?
The Nazis rethink their planning on the Russian Front. They had originally thought that the Russian soliders would turn against their commanders and fight with the Nazis; instead they continued them. It was the same case with the population of Russia ravaged by war; They remained loyal to their government despite being attacked by the Germans. -
The U.S. Declares War and WWII Changes
After the bombings on Pearl Harbor on the 7th, the U.S. Congress declares war on Japan. In response, the Japanese look to Hitler to aid them in their new war against the U.S. Many of Hitler's advisors told him the Japanese provoked the U.S. by bombing them so Germany shouldn't be involved; however, Hitler was looking for another enemy to fight, so Germany declared war on the U.S. WWII was now between Britain, the U.S., and the Soviet Union against Germany and Japan.
